Softball Downs Niagara in a Pair of Matchups

NIAGARA, N.Y. – UMBC
softball’s sophomore pitcher Miranda Clark (Tampa,
Fla./H.B. Plant) fanned a career-best 13 batters, the most by a
Retriever pitcher since Stephanie Weigman on April 7,
2010, as Clark picked up her third victory of the season and helped
UMBC defeat Niagara, 4-2, in game one of Saturday afternoon’s
non-conference doubleheader. The Retrievers held on for a 7-5 win
in game two at Niagara Softball Field to improve to 11-40 on the
season, while the Purple Eagles fall to 14-28.

UMBC junior outfielder Kayla Martinez (Odenton,
Md./Arundel) batted at a .571 clip on the day (4-for-7) and tallied
three RBI, while freshman outfielder Danielle
O'Neill (Loathian, Md./Southern) finished with three hits
– two of which were doubles – and a team-best five runs
batted in.

In game one, the Retrievers did all of their damage in two
innings, jumping out to a three-run lead in the top of the second
and adding an insurance run in the third. Junior first
baseman Chelsea Bertoglio (Laguna Hills, Calif./Laguna
Hills/Saddleback College) led off the second with a walk and
classmate Martinez put runners on first and second with a one-out
single through the left side of the infield. Sophomore center
fielder Mary Hartman (Eldersburg, Md./Century) loaded the
bases with an infield single and O’Neill picked up three RBI
with a bases-clearing double into center field, to give the
Retrievers the 3-0 advantage.

UMBC capitalized on Niagara’s only miscue of the contest,
as Bertoglio reached base on a Purple Eagles error in the top of
the third. Martinez drove in Bertoglio from second on her second
single of the afternoon and provided the Retrievers with a four-run
cushion.

Clark was outstanding, holding Niagara to just one hit through
the first six innings. After drawing a pair of one-out walks, the
Purple Eagles drove in one run with a single to right field from
designated player Ally Gay in the bottom of the seventh. Clark was
able to get the second out of the inning, fanning first baseman
Connal Kelly, but a second RBI-single in the inning brought Niagara
within two, 4-2. Clark picked up her career-best 13th strikeout of
the afternoon to end the contest with runners on first and
second.

Freshman Bridget O'Malley (Brooklyn, Md./Seton Keough)
went 2-for-2 from the dish and reached base on all four plate
appearances, while Martinez and O’Neill each finished the
contest with two hits.

Clark (3-7) threw her second complete game of the season and
allowed two runs on three hits. Niagara starter Jennifer Sansano
(10-11) had nine strikeouts on the afternoon and surrendered three
earned runs on seven hits.

In game two, it was Niagara that got out to a 3-0 lead in the
top of the first inning. Brittany Richberg was hit by a pitch to
lead off the frame and Katelyn Gruarin dropped down a bunt for a
single to put runners on first and second. A double to right field
from Becky Zill scored Richberg and left Gruarin on third. Alexis
Wayne lined out to center field, but the throw in from the
Retrievers was not in time to get Gruarin, putting the Purple
Eagles out in front, 2-0. Back-to-back singles from Amanda Werth
and Ambur Farmer extended the lead to three runs.

UMBC chipped away at its deficit, as a walk, single and a
sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third for the Retrievers
in the second. An infield ground out gave Martinez her second RBI
of the day and a single to center field from freshman right
fielder Jordan Sganga (Edgewater, Md./South River) helped
the black and gold come within one at 3-2.

The Retrievers evened up the contest in the top of the fourth,
scoring in much of the same way as the second, as another Martinez
RBI-single scored Scroggin, who reached base on a walk to lead off
the inning.

UMBC took the lead for good in the top of the sixth inning on
O’Neill’s team-leading 10th double of the season with
bases loaded, scoring Martinez and Sganga on the play. The
Retrievers would add two more runs in the top of the seventh frame,
the first coming on a double to left field from junior second
baseman Caitlin Chance (Easton, Md./Easton) and the
second coming as an unearned run on a fielding error from
Niagara’s shortstop.

A two-run single from Zill cut the Purple Eagles deficit to two,
7-5, in the bottom half of the inning, but that is as close as
Niagara would get, as UMBC starting pitcher Heather
Brown (Pasadena, Md./Northeast) was able to get three of the
next four batters to fly out to end the contest.